[ music ] this is al-jazeera america live from new york city. i am tony harris. we will look at today's top stories. investigators turn their focus to the data recorders pulled from the wreckage of a deadly train derailment in new york. the white house says healthcare.gov is running smoother than ever. insurance companies say it is far from fixed. protesters in thailand clash with police as the prime minister refuses calls to step down. amazon says it wants to change what we know about doorstep delivery. ♪ a if he hfederal investigat

they will soon know the cause of sunday's deadly train derailment in new york city. the ntsb is now processing information from the train's black boxes. officials say at least 63 people were hurt and four people were killed when the train derailed as it rounded a curve. crews are still at the scene up right in toppled cars, trying to restore full service on one of the nation's busiest commuter rail line. jonathan martin joins us from the crash site. and jonathan, i believe we are standing by to get an update on the investigation soon >> reporter: that's right, tony. we are expecting a news conference in the ntsb at 4:00 o'clock. so any minute, we will learn something. hopefully, as you mentioned, the investigators do have those two black boxes, the black box data recorders. one from the front of the train. one from the back. that hopefully will allow them to learn some information about what caused this deadly crash. tony, the big questions really out there at this point are: you know, was this caused by a

mechanical error, operator error or possibly something else? maybe something with the tracks. now, the train's conductor who was injured, himself, in this derailment has said that there was an issue, possibly with the braking system. but these recorders are really significant because they can tell investigators down to the second what was going on with the air pressure in the braking system. so they will be able to tell to the one-second intervals whether there was an issue, whether the brakes did malfunction and, also, possibly, tony, whether this train was going too fast. there were a enough witnesses, a number of people on board who said that the train was just going too fast, well above the 30 miles per hour that it's supposed to go. so we could learn that here in a few minutes. >> jonathan, if you would, take a moment and describe that scene. what is it like there, and have the officials started to upright all of the cars that de-railed? >> really, tony, they are at the final stages, i would say, at least here.

not much you can see actually because they have actually uprighted all seven of those cars and they moved the last one away just about, i would say, five minutes ago whright beforee came on the air. they used these two large cranes to upright all cars, move them away. but don't expect service to be restored here any time soon. at least not for the next few days, possibly a week, we are hearing from officials because they do have so much damage to the track. so while the scene here is cleared, if you will, there is still a lot of work to do before anyone can -- >> yeah. >> be back here, at least the trains. >> jonathan, tell us about those who were injured. have they all been released at the hospital at this point? >> reporter: no. we just heard an update a couple of hours ago at the from the doctors at saint barnabus hospital. there are a number of people there. remember, tony, about 60 people, at least 60 people were injured. four of them as we mentioned, four people were killed. but of those 60 people who were injured, about 12 went to the hospital. we understand seven, or at least

seven, are in intensive care. two or three have been released from the hospital. a number of people seriously hurt. we hope to find outed more soon. but at the latest, seven people is what we have heard. >> all right, jonathan. jonathan martin. jonathan, when you get word, that news conference is about to get, just flag us up. okay. i am hearing five minutes now. jonathan martin, appreciate it. thank you? >> okay. >> metro north is one of the busiest railroads in the country, carries more than 82 million riders each year. but already this year, a number of problems have plagued the railroad. jonathan betz is here with a breakdown met. >> metro north has enjoyed a good reputation but it has focused a difficult year. in late may, a train killed a foreman working on the line. a rookie had re-opened the trac tracks. 10 days before that accident, two of metro-north's trains collided in connecticut. the reason: tracks had come apart. inspectors picked up an issue

with this joint just two days before that wreck. you can clear that see that brake minutes before the accident. it's in a photo captured by a passing train. >> that's it right there. you can see the train rails came apart in that photo. that crack, though, was not fixed. it caused a train to derail and get hurt by another. 76 people were hurt in that accident. the agency has since admitted mistakes and promised an overhaul. until yesterday, the railroad, torque, tony -- tony, had never lost a passenger. >> we are about three minutes away or so from the start of that news conference. we will take you to it, of course, when it begins. i have to tell you, it will be a difficult trip home for thousands of new york city area commuters. service suspended on metro-north's hudson line. tens of thousands of commuters had to resort to buses or use other means, maybe other lines, to get to work this morning. to new orleans now where the city is once again reliving the aftermath of hurricane cat trka

jury election has begun in the retrial of david warn, a police officer. he was convicted of shooting a man to death days after the storm, but a federal judge overturned his conviction saying he was unfairly tried. al jazeera, ben lemoiny joins us. ben, what can you tell us about this new trial a, and how will be different from the first? >> well, tony, the main reason it's going to be different, the main way it's going to be different is in the first trial, there were three defendants, three new orleans police officers. and an appellate court overruled that ruling last year saying essentially that officer, former new orleans police officer, david warren, should not have been tried with the other officers because the focus in that case was essentially on the alleged coverup of the killing rather than the killing, itself. this trial stands to be more based on the actual evidence, the actual things that went in to the circumstances surrounding this shooting.

so, once again, we are going to have a family going through another trial. they are going to be listening to new evidence, new people coming to this case and saying the same things that the family had to sit through before. so going to be a very trying thing during, once again, another trial in this case. >> so, ben, you describe a situation, a scenario there where you are going to look at a lot of old wounds being re-opened with this new trial? >> reporter: yeah. you really do. you know, the family went through weeks of testimony three years ago in this case. and to have an officer convicted, we spoke to the family earlier today, the family of henry glover. and they say that gave them some closure. today, once again, that is kind of a wound that is re-opened for them. they have to go through this all again. they expect that we'll be trying to get a jury over the next two days, and then trial will start. >> that's ben. appreciate it. let's stay in new orleans. jury election began in the trial

of a former bp drilling engineer charged in connection with the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico back in 2010. curt mix faces charges of obstruction of justice. prosecutors claim he deliberately deleted text messageses to and from a supervisor and a bp contractor. nix is one of four former officials. >> vice president biden has arrived in chijapan a few years ago. he will speak with leaders about a chinese air defense zone over islands claimed by both countries. u.s. planes have flown through that zone. biden will visit china and south korea. now, to two countries in the midst of real political crises right now, we begin in thailand where an opposition leader vowed to escalate his campaign to topple the government. police spent another day battling with anti--government

protesters in front of government buildings in bangkok. the demonstrations raised new fears that instability in one of asia's largest economies. wayne hay has more now from the capitol. >> a battle is being waged on two fronts, anti-government protesters are trying to enter the office of the prime minister and the bangkok police. this time, a rubbish truck was used to try to bake through the barriers erected by the police. it and it's okay pants were 40sed into a quick retreat. tear gas spewing from the cab. it seems some people on the streets are willing to go to extremes to achieve their goal. they want the government and the prime minister gone. yingluk shinawatra spoke to the media the day after meeting with the protest leader. she says she is willing to do anything to end the crisis. tutep's idea is that it's

unconstitutional. >> we found out he isn't interested in the resignation of the prime minister, nor does he want to dissolve the parliament. he wants me to return the power of the prime minister to the people. i don't know how we can proceed with this offer because this provision doesn't exist under constitutional law. so that's why it doesn't mean that we say no. but this negotiation, we don't know how to make it happen. >> in the meantime, the immediate aims of those fighting here are far clearer and more specific. >> in areas like this, it is not a crowd dispersal operation. it's the protesters using and doing whatever they can to push inside that area. and the police are holding their line >> reporter: as well as tear gas, rubber bullets and water canon laced with chemicals are being used. anyone caught unprepared is brought to a standstill. the defenses of the protesters are crude. fans to blow away the tear gas, plastic bags so they don't breathe it in.

they are showing no signs of giving up. but the assault seems to be making little hane way wayne hey, arizona bangkok . >> you crane's president is trying to ends several days of anti-government protests in his country. look at these live pictures now from kiev of the demonstrate orders out in force. and it is after 11:00 p.m. there. you have banners being waved. you can hear the music in the background. the president says he will renew talks with the european union. the demonstrations began after he rejected a packet with the eu and sided with russia. barnaby phillips is in russia with the latest on the protest >> reporter: in the city center, it does feel like a revolution is underway. the city hall has become a headquarters for protesters. all day, people came in. just have a look or enjoy the food and hot drunks or even to catch catch a nap. amidst all of this, a workman

valiantly removes the carpet so that it won't get damaged in these extraordinary times. the problem for the opposition is where do they go from here? how do they turn occupation into political victory? >> the way to resolve this crisis is through parliament elections. we want a no-confidence resolution in the government of ukraine. this government should resign >> reporter: pictures have emerged from sunday night that show the police were, at times, brutal in the treatment of protesters and journisalistjour >> antoine was beaton by riot police. he pleaded with them to stop. these are his bruises, and this is all that's left of his camera. the police were also on the receiving end. officials say 35 were hurt by protesters, some are in hospital. away from the city center, there

are no protests, just the grim routine of life in a cold winter. this is where we met tatiana, selling cabbage and very much in favor of political change. trons >> translator: we were on our knees a long time. i am grateful to the protesters. i want my children and grandchildren to have better lives. >> reporter: back in index square, people are prepared for another long night. in speech after speech, they say ukraine is part of europe. >> there is no sign that protesters are prepared to leave index square. so the government has to make a decision whether to stay away in the hope that things just events fizzle out or to send police into the square and remove these protesters by force >> reporter: the crowds have blocked roads and put guards on the gbarricades. they control the center of kiev. but to overthrow the government, they will have to convince the

rest of the country to follow them. barnaby phillips, al jazeera, kiev. we want to take you to the news conference, the nltsz c conference. i believe this is earl wiener from the ntsb. let's get the update. >> the two event recorders that the ntsb secured last night were transported to washington, d.c. a prelimnary readout was accomplished. the replymnary information -- and let me emphasize: this is preliminary information. from the event recorders shows the train was traveling at approximately 82 miles an hour as it went into a 30-mile-an-hour curve. that speed was 82 miles an hour at the entrance to a 30-mile-an-hour curve. approximately six seconds before the rear engine of the train came to a stop, the throttle was reduced to idle. approximately five seconds before the rear engine came to a

stop, the brake pressure dropped from 120 psi to zero resulting in full application of the brakes. at this point in the investigation, we don't know what the initiating event was for either the throttle going to idle or the brake pressure dropping to zero. our investigators will be carefully reviewing all of the data to determine the functioning of the brakes throughout the trip and to determine why the throttle went to zero and brake pressure went to zero. as you may not, this train made nine stops prior to derailing. we need to understand how the brake system was working throughout that part of the trip. at this point, we are not aware of any problems or anomalies with the brakes. also, today, we will be again interviewing the engineer. that interview will be continued over the next couple of days.

we have interviews in process with the other two -- three -- the other three crew members. investigators from the track group have completed the assessment of the track. back to metro, metro-north.

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high quality journalism, period. >> primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> primetime news: weeknights at 8 and 11 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> some time ago, the notices press conference. let's listen in. >> we have interviews in process with the other two, three -- the other three crew members. investigators from the track group have completed the assessment of the track. they have conducted a detailed engineering survey of the site. earlier this afternoon, we released the track back to metro, metro-north. investigators completed some of the signals testing.

rest of the signals testing will have to be accomplished tonight late at night when the traffic is minimal on the tracks. earlier this afternoon, mta provided us with a copy of the surveillance video of a nearby bridge. that surveillance video was of low quality. we have sent it back to washington d.c. to laboratories to see if it can be enhance did. the engineer's cell phone has been recovered as is part of our routine process, and the forensic evaluation of that cell phone will be provided to the ntsb. the locomotive has been rerailed. our team has conducted the preliminary assessment of five of those cars and the locomotive. the two remaining cars are in the process of being inspected at this point. as soon as that's completed, all of the cars and the locomotive

will be moved to a security facility for further examination and evaluation in the next few days. >> our investigators will continue ory their on-scene work tomorrow including interviews, inspections, and documentation gathering. with that, i would be willing to take a few questions. >> to be clear, this was human error or was this faulty breaking system that led to this derailment? >> so the question was: was this human error or faulty equipment? the answer is at this point in time, we can't tell. at this point in time, the data is preliminary, but we can say here is what happened. we know speeds and positions and power settings and brake application, we don't know whether the brakes went to zero pressure because of a valve change or because of the train break-up. that will be determined, of course, as the investigation

continues. >> what does it tell you so far? i mean when you tell us that the throttle was released to idle at six seconds. at five seconds, the brake pressure dropped to zero. i mean in layman's terms, what does that tell us or what does that tell you? >> that says six seconds before the engine came to a stop and when it came to a stop, it had de-railed. you know, laid over partly on its side. six seconds coming to a stop, the throttle had been at some power setting. so it was only six seconds before everything came to a stop that the throttle went to idle. >> this was late in the game? >> very late in the game. at 82 miles an hour, that train was going too fast even for the zone leading up to that curve? >> the zone leading up to the curve was a 70-mile-an-hour zone. and, yes, there was in excess of that speed. >> so i guess the question is: why, then, was the train

goingsoft? >> that's the question we need to answer. at this point, as i said, this is preliminary data. this is raw data off of the event recorders. so, it tells us what happened. it doesn't tell us why it happened. >> can you tell us what the loefb engineer has told you so far? >> i can't do that. the interviews have started. but we don't release any of the interview records until all of the interviews have been conducted. >> how many seconds going into that curve should the throttle have been pulled that t? does the back box reveal the timeline before action seconds before? >> the black box provides quite a bit of data. we will be looking at that data to understand how the train was being managed. but at this point in time, again, this is very early data. basically raw data. >> when the train stops, the engine stops after it skids, do you know approximately where

that location of that train is six seconds before it stops, where in the locomotive? >> the locomotive and you have probably seen the pictures as much as i have, was basically just nearly inside the turn. so, it was not very far through the turn. >> how far would it have traveled in six seconds at that speed? i guess what i am asking is: does the throttle come off about the place where it comes off of the rails, the locomotive? >> that would be closer to. >> excuse me? >> that would be close together, but i don't -- without analyzing it, it's hard to say exactly what that sequence was. >> we will take one more question. >> are their toxicology tests done on the driver? >> there were drug and alcohol testing. that has been completed, but the results have not been made available to us yet. >> what does he say?

>> yes. >> could you just explain what the brake pressure going stozero means for the average person? >> brake pressure. >> and the time of that again, please? >> the brake pressure went to zero five seconds prior to the stop, to the complete top of the locomotive. >> uh-huh. >> the brakes are held off by pressure. so at 120 psi, the brakes are held off. when the pressure diminishes, particularly when it goes to zero, if you will braking application happens. >> do you think the application occurred before the train de-railed or after the train de-railed? >> don't know that at this point. >> so, on the mechanics of this, could you explain to us how it works with the engine at the back? i guess at the front of the train. how does he operate the train? >> okay. last question. >> okay. >> how does he operate the train in a pusher configuration? >> yeah. >> the engineer is in the cab car upfront. >> okay. are there lines that run back or how does it work?

>> there are controls that rup back to the locomotive because automotive power is at the locomotive. thank you. >> something to be clear on... >> okay. let me just say is a couple of words here and then senator bloomenthal. first, it is very good the ntsb is in full charge. >> let's see if we can get a better understanding of what was said in this news conference. there was a lot of information there. clearly, the train was going much to fast into the 30 mile per hour curve. here to talk about the cause of the crash, the next steps with the investigation is mary stiabo, a former inspecttor general with the department of transportation. she is on the phone with us. mary, are you on the phone with us? >> i am: i am right here. >> how much of this were you able to hear? a portion of it? >> a good portion of it, and, of course, the crucial information about the speed of the train as it was approaching the curve, which is above the speed limit.

the speed limit was 70 even before the curve. so that's a very important piece of data. >> yeah. so what does this say to you? we heard 82 miles per hour in to -- into that curve. are we talking about conductor error, faulty brakes? what do you think we are talking about here? >> well, at 82 miles an hour, that's not when you are applying the brakes. they weren't supposed to exceed 70 miles an hour. this is unfortunately an all too familiar scenario. i work so many train crashes where they were exceeding the speed limit. and in many ways, you know, i am not -- i am not going to say there is special for management to do so but we want our trains to go fast but they have obey the speed limit. i have worked many train crashes where they haven't. that cases the brakes wouldn't have been applied at that point because they should have been at 70 and slowing down the question

was why was it over speeding? was it because there was a malfunction with any of the instruments or being run too fast? >> the question the ntsb has not answered. >> terrific. you mentioned in your response there "they." and you seemed to be implying the conductor. is that in part a suggestion that trains are being run' a kendall and being overrun and that conductors in order to make a time schedule sometimes push the trains faster than they should be pushed? >> sometimes they do. i am not saying that occurred here, but often, that's what we find. we find that they are pushing trains t sometimes trains get delayed. there is other countries that pride themselves on the trains being precisely on schedule. not only to the minute, to the second. but we have nevbeen -- our trai don't run like that often. there is a lot of pressure to make the trains, you know, make up time on the trains, et

cetera. whether this was one of those cases or not, we don't know, but making up lost time is something that not just drivers of trains but drivers of cars and trucks and planes do as well. >> yeah. one of the systems is the shinkansim in japan. it's amazing how that system runs, seemingly to the minute and to the second. you are suggesting that in some cases, trains in systems in this country are being pressured to pushed to perform better? >> that's right. i actually had the opportunity to work with japan rail and see the operations of it first hand. i worked in japan for first months. we can't even compare our trains to theirs. first of all, they have dedicated tracks. they are computer controlled literally to the second. they are so fast they have closing speeds, you know, of 500 miles an hour. so they have to be controlled to

the second. we just don't have that, the track capability or that. there is no comparison. >> mary, we've got to run, but i want to have you back on the program. i believe you are due to be back with us at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. let's talk more about what we have learned from this latest update from the ntsb. mary shaveau, she is a former inspect general for the ntsb. let's take a break and we are back with more al-jazeera america right after this.

power of the people until we restore our freedo

>> welcome back to al-jazeera america. here is a look at your top stoerpz. it's as different as night and day. >> that's how obama administration officials described healthcare.gov after the live -- two months after the website went live the. they are cautiously managing expectations. we just heard the crucial information about sunday's deadly train derailment in new york. the conductor was going 82 miles per hour as the train came into a 30 mile per hour zone. that critical curve. jo than marchttin joins us.

jo jonathan, have you been able to physically see the curve in question that we are talking about here? >> reporter: from -- sort of, i would say. it's sort of hard to say with the bushes here we have been able to see sort of the vantage point. even governor cuomo said it's sort of a tricky curve. as we heard the folks from ntsb say that, 30 miles per hour, that is the limit around the curve. so to hear that this train was going 82 is shogging but it also echoes what some of the witnesses and some of the people on board were saying, that the train was going way too fast. so not many people, i am sure, surprised to hear that it was speeding. but to hear just just how much. >> jonathan, we are able to take a look at the pictures you have seen, too, of the derailed cars on the side, one car nearly plunging into the harlim river. we are able to see that curve. and the idea of a train coming into that curve at 82 miles per

hour is shocking. okay? so then, the question becomes and it's something you have raised. i will have you go over this again. the question of whether it was faulty braking or human error or some kind of issue with the track, itself, those options are being considered? right? >> right. >> that's what the ntsb said. we know what happened. we just don't know why it happened. they also pointed out before this stop here, in the brakes, there are nine other stops. so they are going to be looking to see was there a braking issue before this, or was it just a situation here. some they know what happened, not just why. they will interview other crew members. they have interviewed the conductor, himself, who was injured as well. they tried to figure out what happened. they pointed out this was preliminary data. they will send it off to washington, d.c. to get a better analysis. at this point, they have been able to determine definitely speed was a factor. >> yon than, lastly, let me have you update us on the conditions

of people who were taken to the hospital. 63, i believe, is the number of injuries. we believe that seven are in intensive care. is that the latest figure? >> the latest figure we heard from saint barnabus hospital was seven people still in intensive care origin care. originally, we were told about 12 were transported to the hospit hospital. a couple have been released. they expect a couple more to be released tonight. still, a number of people in the hospital with very serious injuries. >> jonathan martin, thank you. we should tell you that two months after the troubled healthcare website went live, officials say it is working better and faster. the focus according to the white house is making sure the so-called back end of the website is working as it should. what does that men? all of this three weeks before the next big deadline of december 23rdrd. >> that's the late day to sign up for coverage to begin on january 1st. mike viqueira joins us now from the white house with details.

mike, this is a big deadline for the administration over the weekend. what are the functions on this back end that need to be fixed? >> the administration is coming up with facts and figures meant to bolster their argument that this is night and day between october 1st of the bungled launch of healthcare.gov. the website whereby you go and enter and try to buy insurance through these olive exchanges. the president says it's significant improvement. the six % error rate, astronomical rate when it comes to these down to less than 1%, not up to private sector if you go on amazon or marriage department store's website to try to buy things. a significant improvement. they say by the end of today, as of noon today, when jay carney, the white house press secretary came out, he said 375,000 people had visited the site. that doesn't mean they enrolled. it means they clicked on the site to begin with by the end of the day, they expect it to be 80,000. that's another metric they have, the number of people they can host in one day.

i and probably a thousand other reporters tried to log onto the website and you do get this queue message that says hold tight. in the meantime go here and there. make sure you have these documents in order because you are going to get on the website very shortly. frankly, it didn't last very long and the white house explained or the administration explained later today when they get to 35,000 visitors at once, then they contacted in. and the white house and the administration interpreting that as a positive sign. at least you are told you are wait, you are there, you are in the queue. where before you got that circle that went around and around and around. jay carney, i mentioned the white house press secretary was doing his best to put a good face on the improvements that have been made as of this weekend. >> this was a marker along the road towards the progress we need to make, that by november 30th, december 1st, we would see the system, the

healthcare.gov website working for the vast majority of users. the work is not done. it will continued. we will continue to make improvements. we continue to have, you know, folks working around the clock on the site to make it more and more effective every day. >> tony, it's all anecdotal at this point. t the administration has facts and figures, i am sure the opposition is going to find folks having problems. where the rubber meets the road, you mentioned december 23rd you have to enroll by them then. it's a crunch. a lot of people are going to be logging on to see how well that website can handle the traffic. >> mike, appreciate it. joining from me washington, d.c. is mary agness. she can habreak this down for u she is reporter for casar health news. it receives some from blue shield of california. >> that's an insurance company. doesn't disqualify you. >> thanks for having me. >> a pleasure. how much better how much better

is the experience for

this this. >> the process information, sometimes it takes a week, sometimes two. sometimes i think it depends upon the insurer. the problem you are talking about is dealing with this thing called the 834. >> the what? the 834? >> called the 834 form. what it is, is a form that's sent from healthcare.gov to the insured to tell them how many

people are enrolled, how much of a subsidy and what the ensurers are saying is this has been a problem because they get calls from consumers who say i signed up online for your plan. i am allowed this particular level of subsidy. my premium should be x. some insurers have no record these people have been enrolled or they may have a different number. the centers for medicare and medicaid services which overseas sees it, they said they fixed one big that they think accounts for 80% of the problem but they haven't released the error rate in these forms. how many of these forms have been sent incorrectly to the insurers? that, they are not saying. >> mary agness carry, a reporter for kaiser health news. thank you for coming back. thanks for talking to us about this tremendous news. thank you, mary agness. fishermen in gaza put down nets to protest fishing in the mediterranean sea. they have imposed a moratorium

for security reasons. the country says it monitors imports to prevent dangerous materials. but fishermen say the six mile limit is hurting their business. what kind of messages are these fishermen trying to send to israel? >> tony, this message goes way beyond fishermen. it's a message that they feel like they are under siege and not willing to accept it anymore. >> for six years, israel has controlled these seas. today, activists wanted to take them back. palestinians can't sail more than six miles from particular their coast. warships block almost everything coming in and going out. gazans say that strangled their economy. fishermen headed straight for the israeli ships. they are aware of the risks. israel has arrested and attacked

fishermen for sailing more than six miles out. we are just armed with international law. this is our sea. this is our land. this is our sky. you shouldn't be here. >> these activists know by challenging the blockade israel may stop or attack them. with two-thirds of the people in gaza living on less than $2 a day, these people feel like they have nothing to lose. >> for israel, the blockade is about security. mil taints have fired rockets from gaza into israel. so israel says to prevent that, it must block imports like cement that have been used. >> for palestinians, this is about their livelihood. where sewage sometimes runs through the streets, power cuts are more than 12 hours a day. gazans say the blockade increases their suffering. >> unemployment in gaza is over 40%. there is a saying that in each bag of cement, there are more than 45 jobs. but the blockade is meant that construction projects like this one have ground to a halt.

>> that's made economic conditions here more miserable. >> mohammed alawani and his 7 children are owed a new house. his was bulldozed in 2004 by the israeli. because of the blockade, he is a no, ma' nomad without a permanent home. >> because of this, he says, my children are failing out of school. >> i initially thought i would say for a week, then a few weeks. and three years later, here i am. >> american joe carton has seen jazzans struggle up close. he doesn't blame them for being angry. >> under these circumstances, i don't think there is very much anyone can reasonably be expected to do other than resist. >> if conditions continue to get worse the anger could erupt? >> it's accumulating inside gaza. it is a very destructive element. we are afraid we are at the age of a new round of violence. >> a fisherman decided not to

risk the warships. they stopped about a half mile short but they promise today keep challenging the blockade because they say they can't go on living like this: >> and in the last week, i should say that the israeli military has said that it will allow more construction materials in, but we were there all day, tony, and we saw absolutely no sign of that, whether its schools or at homes. and gazans say they need those construction materials to get the jobs and the hope that they are looking for. >> you know what, nick? having spent some time in the region, you are there now and you have been there for a long time. you are often not sure what the real story is here. so let me ask a couple of questions to maybe get at it: how important is this blockade to israel, and what would be the impact of israel's security if if the elemelimit was extended say, eight miles? >> i think there is two sides. right? >> yeah. >> so if israel were to allow construction materials in what israel says is those rockets

that we saw videos of and there is video, also, of these people in southern italy, southern israel getting rocketed, israel says those rockets would keep coming in, could not to come in. >> that's obviously unacceptable. on the actual beach side to the mediterranean sea, israel says, look, the fewer miles that we will give you, the more we are able to make sure that those construction materials come in. in the early'90s, israel promised to allow a 20 mile buffer and obviously we are talking about a six-mile buffer now. >> nick, good to see you. ahead on seamarks, the futureal jazeera america, the future of online shopping, drone deliveries. jessica taff breaks down the big weekend highlights after the break.

>> from our headquarters in new york, here are the headlines this hour. here are the headlines at this hour. you live news at the top of every hour. >> a deal in the senate may be at hand and just in the nick of time. >> thousands of new yorkers are marching in solidarity. >> we're following multiple developments on syria at this hour. >> every hour from reporters stationed around the world and across the country. >> only on al jazeera america.

>> cyber monday, amazon has everyone talking about what it says could be the future of delivery. drowse, talking about drones flying packages to your doorstep in 30 minutes. looking into this one, aniss. >> amazon says the idea is four or five years away from becoming a reality. but he says it will happen. and here is how amazon hopes it will work. a customer orders a product online. it's boxed up in a nearby warehouse and that's put in a container. and that then is attached to the drone. and that device then flies to the delivery address. now, there are challenges before all of this can happen. the drones can only carry up to

5 pounds of weight for now. i spoke to an expert on legal and robotics issues who says it's the technical hurdles that will have to be addressed first. >> how do we make these things safe? how do we make sure they can't be hacked and they are not going to fly out and fall out of the sky or run into something. these are serious technical challenges that will have to be addressed in the coming years, although i think they will be. the second is regulatory. how does amazon work with the faa and other agent sees to make sure that what its doing complies with the rules. the third is human. how do we address people's legitimate concerns and fears about drones in a way that makes them acceptable enough that amazon could deploy them widely. >> the f.a.a. will have regulations for commercial drone use written by 2015. that's the earliest you see these. because today is cyber monday, there are plenty of people who think this is one big publicity stunt. amazon isn't the only one to float this around. dominoes pizza hired a ad agency

to deliver two pepperoni pizzas. they traveled four miles in 10 minutes and this was definitely more for publicity than anything else but the pizza made it there successfully. there has been a lot of reactions on twitter about this drone concept for delivering packages. gym priest writes, sorry, first am zone drone that hits my doorstep will find its way into my garage for addition assembly and repurposing into my own drone. then, there is also a par ody twitter address that says am zone drones won't leave those yellow notes on your door. we are programmed to catapult your order into the window. somebody put up one of these little yellow notes that they put on twitter that says, drone defected to join the millions in the upcoming revolution against man kind. >> like a matrix reference. >> that's kind of crazy. let's do this. joining me from san francisco to discuss amazon's vision for

drone technology is tech crunch writer, alex wilhelm. great to speak to you. what do you think about this? what's the potential here? the applications? is this fundamentally down the road a few years a game changer? >> yeah. well, they are very confident this will happen. you have to realize the scale of amazon. they don't do things in small ways. if they are going to deploy this, they are going to do it on a wide scale. presuming the technology advances as it has internally at am zon and the f.a.a. gets it in place, i don't see how this doesn't come very large in about five years. >> how about some of the issues here, the drawbacks, the idea of hacking into those things? those things falling out of the sky, liability. >> fear mongering. >> what do you thing? >> amazon is a smart company. they built awv, the backbone of much of the internet. i am pretty sure they can build a drone that can't be hacked. these are small issues compared

to what technology could do for consumers. >> usual not worried about this thing being hacked by one of us? you are worried about someone with some real ill intent. right? >> they can steal my 5 pound package once. they are not going to be armed, not going to have cameras. shaving cream and mouth washed delivered to your door. if you hack it and steal it, what do you get? >> appreciate it. alex wilhelm from san francisco. shaving cream and mouth wash. all right. jessica taff is here to get you caught up with the day in sports. let's talk about football. what a weekend? hum? >> a huge weekly. this is always my favorite point of the week. we get to sit here, talk about week 12, mark, in the n.f.l. football league which we are talking about a big fight to the finish as teams are trying to muscle their way into the play-off picture while others just try to get that important home field advantage. for more on that, we will check

in with our n.f.l. contributor, anita marks. thank you first of all, for joining us, anita. let's get started right out of the bank with the broncos. did denver stamp their ticket to the post-season with their win over kpings city? >> not only did they stamp their ticket. but really, i truly believe the road to the super bowl is going to have to go through mile-high denver. we saw paieyton manning play in new england. he has been remarkable all season, 41 touchdown passes emends that home field advantage throughout the playoffs by beating kansas city twice and continuing to win, they have one touch match-up this week against tennessee. tennessee is pretty good against the pass but big coup for denver broncos, they get john fox. he has been dealing with a heart issue. he will be back on the sideline with the denver broncos. >> that's good news for them. >> you made tony happy with that news. who do you see in the 6th spot?

>> the ravens hold that spot, 6 and 6. nothing to write home about. their next 3 opponents are top division opponents, you have detroit, new england and cincinnati. big coup for the baltimore ravens as well. they get their tight end back this we're, donis pitta. we will see how the ravens -- they need to win out in order to keep that 6 spot two teams, it's the miami dolfins, 6 and 6, they have two difficult games themselves. at pittsburgh, going up against the new england patriots and tennessee, their record is 5 and 7. the remaining games they have, not as difficult. probably the least difficult scheduled out of those three remaining. i do believe i want to say the miami dolfins because i am from the 305, but i do believe that the baltimore ravens seal that deal and stick with the 6th spot. >> a big monday night game with seattle and new orleans. what should we expect tonight? is this a must-win?

>> it is. i will tell you why. we are talk about a number 1 and number 2 seed in home field advantage. the great thing about these two teams, seattle and the saints is home field advantage is tremendous. they both play in venues that really have that we feelth man on the field for them to help them win the ball game. you got to keep an eye on the fact that perceive harmon is not going to be active. the seahawks were hoping they would get him back and they are not. they are going to be out without two dbs. this is the wrong week, jessica, to be without two top defensive backs going up against one of the most procelific passers in drew breeze. i believe jimmie graham, i think they will be successful. it will be a great night, probably one of the best games this week. again, we are talking about home field advantage, the importance leading into the playoffs. >> time for one more quick question. let's talk about the crazy week with mike tomlin. he says or he is under aggressive review right now for

that play where he became the 12th man for the pittsburgh stealers, you will see right here. let's talk about what do you expect from him? talking penalties and forfeiting a draft pick. your thoughts on that? >> i spoke to a few guys who played with tom lin and coached with tom lin and say this is a character guy. it is not in his character to do something like this. >> that's first and foremost. no. 2, has come out and said, i typically watch the kickoff and punt returns on the jumbotron so i am sure the n.f.l. will review that to make sure that's exactly what he does anticipate a fine. i am hearing about 100,000 dollar final for mike tomlin. he had jason kidd who got a $50,000 fine for spilling water that he -- that he admitted that he did purposely but with that being said, i believe the envelope will try to may make tomlin an example i am hearing

about 100,000 dollar fine. again, in talking to a number of people in and around the n.f.l. who know him, who played with him, who coached with him, they said this is not in his character. they do not believe he did this intentionally. >> thank you very much anita marks. >> you got it. >> a look at sports. interesting scenario there. >> i could go on for another 30 seconds with that one but i won't. >> jessica, thank you. >> meteorologist dave warren is next with a look at the national forecast. back in a moment. >> and now a techknow minute... >> it's the ultimate race againt time. doctors preforming heart transplant surgery in just 6 hours before a donor organ is damaged by ice, used to

keep it cold during transit. but this device could .change all that. it's called the organ care system, or... heart in a box. it works by hooking up the heart to this machine. it pumps it full of warm blood, and a formula containing a proprietary mix of nutrients. >> it's warm, >> it's warm, it's beating... it's functioning, it's just functioning as if it's in your body. >> doctors are also seeing promising results, using the organ care system on other organs, such as lungs. >> for more information on this, and other techknow stories. visit our website at aljazeera.com/techknow don't miss techknow, sundays 7:30et / 4:30pt on al jazeera america ♪ >> i'm meteorologist dave

warren, a big change in the weather. very cold air is just starting to move in the northwest and that is bringing in rain and snow. expect bitter cold air and wind chills over the next 24 hours. here is that moyes coming in from the pacific ocean, but it's moving south. this moyes brings rain and snow oto the pacific northwest. this will have a dramatic impact. over the next week we're looking at cold air moving south monday and tuesday as high pressure develops over canada. expect rain by the end of the week.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. federal investigators want to know why the train that derailed was traveling 82 mph as it approached a 30 mph zone. four people were skilled and others injured. protesters and police clash in bangkok in an effort torpors the prime minister yingluck shinawatra to step down. 200 have been injured in the violence. it's as different as night as day, that's how